Language in the Cosmos I: Is Universal Grammar Really Universal?

The METI Symposium

The symposium

What is METI International?

This article

Chomsky's universal grammar-For humans only?

Universal grammar

Universal grammar and 'Martians'

"Not if their language violated the principles of our universal grammar, which, given the myriad ways that languages can be organized, strikes me as highly likely...The same structures that make it possible to learn a human language make it impossible for us to learn a language that violates the principles of universal grammar. If a Martian landed from outer space and spoke a language that violated universal grammar, we simply would not be able to learn that language the way that we learn a human language like English or Swahili. We should have to approach the alien’s language slowly and laboriously — the way that scientists study physics, where it takes generation after generation of labor to gain new understanding and to make significant progress. We’re designed by nature for English, Chinese, and every other possible human language. But we’re not designed to learn perfectly usable languages that violate universal grammar. These languages would simply not be within the range of our abilities."

Convergent evolution and alien minds

The tree of life

Evolution, brains, and contingency

Evolution, eyes, and convergence

Not just for humans anymore?

Taking apart the language organ

The inevitability of universal grammar

Plato and the strong minimalist thesis

Universal grammar and messages for aliens

References and further reading